An imaging system includes a first camera and a second camera. A first antenna arrangement collects image light from a first scene as seen by the first camera, and a second antenna arrangement collects image light from a second, different scene as seen by the second camera. The first antenna arrangement includes a first polarized dish antenna and the second antenna arrangement includes a second polarized dish antenna. The first camera and the second camera are supported with a first polarization of the first polarized dish antenna orthogonal to a second polarization of the second polarized dish antenna such that at least some of the image light from the first scene travels through the second polarized dish antenna to reach the first camera and at least some of the image light from the second scene travels through the first polarized dish antenna to reach the second camera.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
2. The imaging system of claim 1 wherein the first camera produces a first digital image responsive to the first scene and the second camera produces a second digital image responsive to the second scene.
4. The imaging system of claim 1 wherein a first imaging axis of the first camera is parallel to a second imaging axis of the second camera such that the first camera and the second camera face at least generally in a common direction.
5. The imaging system of claim 4 wherein the first camera and the second camera are in a side-by-side relationship.
6. The imaging system of claim 4 wherein the first camera and the second camera are in a side-by-side spaced apart relationship.
7. The imaging system of claim 1 wherein the first linearly polarized dish antenna and the second linearly polarized dish antenna are paraboloids.
8. The imaging system of claim 1 wherein the first scene viewed by the first camera is in an opposite direction from the imaging system with respect to the second scene viewed by the second camera.
9. The imaging system of claim 8 wherein the first linearly polarized dish antenna of the first antenna arrangement is in a spaced apart confronting relationship with the second linearly polarized dish antenna of the second antenna arrangement.
10. The imaging system of claim 9 wherein the first antenna arrangement includes a first polarized secondary reflector and the second antenna arrangement includes a second polarized secondary reflector such that the first linearly polarized dish antenna defines a first center aperture that supports the second polarized secondary reflector at the second polarization to reflect image light of the second scene from the second linearly polarized dish antenna for the second camera and the second linearly polarized dish antenna defines a second center aperture that supports the first polarized secondary reflector at the first polarization to reflect image light of the first scene from the first linearly polarized dish antenna for the first camera.
11. The imaging system of claim 10 wherein the first and second polarized secondary reflectors are hyperboloids.
12. The imaging system of claim 10 wherein the first antenna arrangement includes a first polarized mirror and the second antenna arrangement includes a second polarized mirror with the first polarized mirror supported to reflect image light of the first scene received from the first polarized secondary reflector at the first polarization to the first camera and with the second polarized mirror supported to reflect image light of the second scene received from the second polarized secondary reflector at the second polarization to the second camera.
13. The imaging system of claim 1 wherein a first imaging axis of the first camera is transverse to a second imaging axis of the second camera such that the first camera and the second camera face in a first direction and a second direction, respectively, and the first scene and the second scene partially overlap.
14. The imaging system of claim 13 wherein the first camera and the second camera are in a side-by-side relationship.
15. The imaging system of claim 14 wherein the first linearly polarized dish antenna of the first antenna arrangement and the second linearly polarized dish antenna of the second antenna arrangement face in the first direction and the second direction, respectively.
16. The imaging system of claim 15 wherein the first antenna arrangement includes a first polarized secondary reflector and the first linearly polarized dish antenna defines a first center aperture, and the second antenna arrangement includes a second polarized secondary reflector and the second linearly polarized dish antenna defines a second center aperture with the first polarized secondary reflector spaced away from the first center aperture in the first direction toward the first scene and with the second polarized secondary reflector spaced away from the second center aperture in the second direction toward the second scene.
17. The imaging system of claim 16 wherein the first linearly polarized dish antenna includes a first axis of symmetry and the second linearly polarized dish antenna includes a second axis of symmetry with the first polarized secondary reflector arranged such that the first axis of symmetry passes therethrough and with the second polarized secondary reflector arranged such that the second axis of symmetry passes therethrough.
18. The imaging system of claim 1 wherein each of the first camera and the second camera includes a single pixel imaging sensor and a spatial light modulator positioned between each single pixel imaging sensor and a respective one of the first and second antenna arrangements.
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March 23, 2019
August 30, 2022
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